ayees



v(No Model.) ZSheetST-Sheetl,

W. G'. AYR'ES.

HORSE BLANKET,l

(No Model.) .2 Sheets-Sheet 2'..

W. G; Mms.l HORSE BVLANKBT; I No. 584,661. Piaxn'td J.u1 1 e"1 5,.18.974.

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UNITED f `STATES .i

ATENT Finca,

WILLIAM G. AYRES, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO WILLIAM AYRES dv SONS, OE SAME PLACE.

HORSE-BLANKET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 584,661, dated June 15, 189'?.

Application filed, Tulle 3, 1896. Serial NO. 594,135- (NO model.)

To @ZZ whom it may conccrw Be it known that I, WILLIAM G. Avans, a citizen of the United States, residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in HorseBlankets, of which the following is a specification.

One object of my invention is to provide a horse-blanket with certain straps or sta-ys so disposed as to provide for the more secure retention of the blanket upon the horse than is possible with any construction now in use and with which I am familiar.

A further object is 'to prevent excessive strain upon the fabric of which the blanket is composed when the securing devices for the blanket are tightened in order to retain said blanket in place on the horse.

These objects I attain in the manner hereinafter set forth, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side view ot a horse-blanket provided with straps or stays in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a view of the opposite side of the blanket, and Figs. 3 and 4 are views illustrating modiications of the invention. 4

So far as the blanket itself is concerned vit may be made in any of the usual ways, my invention having no reference to the blanket, but simply to a system of straps or stays whereby the blanket, when applied to the horse, can be secured in place so that it is not liable to be accidentally displaced by the movements of the horse when the latter is standing in the stall or upon the street or road. On each side ot' the blanket are three of these straps or stays, those on one side of the blanket being represented at A, B', and DFig. l, and those on the other side of the blanket being shown at A', B', and D, Fig. 2. The strap -A extends downwardly and rearwardly from the neck portion of the blanket, and the strap B extends downwardly and forwardly from the rump portion of the same, the strap D extending rearwardly from the front portion of the blanket below the neck and being united to the straps A and B. The straps A and B continue until they meet and form a V-shaped stay, as shown in Fig. 1, the lower end or point of said stay being attached to a suitable fastening device b, carried by the central portion of a strap F, which di- Verges from said fastening device and passes beneath the bottom of the blanket for attachment to the lower en'ds of the straps Alv B' on the other side of the blanket, (see Fig. 2,) these straps A B', as well as the strap D', following the same general course as the straps A, B, and D, but said straps A and B' being discontinued some distance short of the point at which they would otherwise meet, in order to provide for the attachment ot the strap F thereto.

The ends of the strap E arel looped in the usual way and can be provided with adjust ing-slides d, so that the length of the strap from one side of the blanket to the other can be readily regulated to accord with the size of the horse to which the blanket is applied, the object of the strap F when the fastening device is applied being to draw the depending side flaps of the blanket snugly under the horses belly in order to cause the blanket to be drawn inward between the horses fore and hind legs, thus insuring greater protection to the horses body than would be aitorded by a loose blanket, and at the same time rendering it more difficult for the horse to shake loose or otherwise dislodge the blanket. This latter result is due mainly to the fact that the blanket is drawn snugly around the rump and flanks of the horse, as well as around the neck and fore quarters, owin g to the presence ofthe diagonally-extending rump straps or braces B B in addition to the diagonally-extending neck-straps A A.

Any tendency of 4the blanket to rise on either side of the rum p pulls uponthe rumpstrap on that side and this pull causes a downward pull upon the neck-strap on the opposite side of the blanket, and as the neck portion of the blanket is held in place by the neck of the horse the neck-strap cannot yield and consequently the opposite rump-strap is likewise retained in position. For instance, any upward pull upon the rump-strap B on the leftshand side of the blanket is transmitted through the diagonal strap F under the horses belly to the neck-strap A on the right-hand side of the blanket and causes a downward pull upon the latter, and in like manner any upward pull upon the rump-strap B' on the right-hand side of the blanket is transmitted through the strap E diagonally under the IOC The various straps or stays are preferablyv secured to the fabric of the blanket throughout their entire length, so that the strain orV i pull is resisted by the material of which the straps are composed and is not exerted upon the cloth of the blanket, although the lower portions of the straps A A B B may be loose, if desired, and although I prefer to carry the rump-straps B B over the rump, so as to constitute practically a continuous stay, each of these stays may be discontinued some distance to one side of the center line of the blanket. For instance, each strap may extend up to or near the back-line G.

The use of the divergent strap F, moreover, is not necessary to the proper carrying out of my invention. For instance, both sets of straps A B and A B may be discontinued before they meet, the lower ends of the straps A B being connected by a strap F and the lower ends of the stra-ps B A being connected by a strap F2, as shown in Fig. 3, the objection to this arrangement, however, being the necessity of fastening two independent straps in applying` the blanket to a horse. On the other hand, the straps A B and A B' on both sides of the blanket may be continued until they meet, in which case a single strap F3 can be used to connect them, as shown in Fig. t.

IIaving thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. A horse-blanket having straps or sta-ys extending diagonally downward and forward from the rump on each side of the blanket, straps or stays extending diagonally downward and rearward from the opposite sides of the neck, and a strap or straps serving to connect the rump-strap on'the right-hand side ot' the blanket to the neck-strap on the lefthand side of the same, and the rump-strap on the left-hand side of the blanket to the neck-strap on the right-hand side of the same, substantially as specified.

2. A horse-blanket having straps or stays extending diagonally downward and forward from the rump on each side of the blanket, and straps or stays extending diagonally downward and rearward from the opposite sides of the neck, said straps or stays being secured to the fabric of the blanket throughout their length, and a strap or straps serving to connect the rump-strap on the righthand side of the blanket to the neck-strap on the left-hand side of the same, and the rumpstrap on the left-hand side of the blanket to the neck-strap on the right-hand side of the same, substantially as specified.

3. A horse-blanket having straps or stays extending diagonally down ward and forward from the rump on each side of the blanket, straps or stays extending diagonally downward and rearward from the opposite sides of the neck, longitudinal straps or stays extending from the rump straps forwardly across the neck-straps and to the front edges of the blanket below the neck, and a strap or straps serving to secure the rump-strap on the ri ght-hand side of the blanket to the neckstrap on the left-hand side of the same and the rump-strap on the left-hand side of the blanket to the neck-strap on the right-hand side of the same, substantially as specified.

4t. A horse-blanket having straps or stays extending diagonally downward and forward from the rump on each side of the blanket, straps or stays extending diagonally downward and rearward from the opposite sides of the neck, said neck and rump straps on one side of the blanket being continued until they meet, and a diverging strap serving to connect the ends of the neck and rump straps on one side of the blanket to the meetingpoint of said neck and rump straps on the opposite side of the blanket, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

TILLIAM G. AYRES.

Witnesses:

WILL. A. BARR, J os. H. KLEIN. 

